It's All In The RE-

Being retired I am sorting through and cleaning out my paper files stacked up through 40+ years of ministry. It’s intriguing how many files I have under the letter ‘R’ that begin with ‘re-‘:  retreat, revival, recycle, research. This prefix ‘re’, used as ‘back’ or ‘again’, can inspire changes to re-organize our lives. “Re-What-ever is an important concept to consider.

 

          Why not re-write your will this summer? Or re-turn a borrowed item and re-new a friendship? Perhaps re-consider a poor habit and re-vive a healthier one. This could be a good time to re-duce the clutter in your home and re-consider the things you collect.

 

          Now might be the right time to re-concile with an estranged family member, or re-build a damaged relationship. You might re-claim a good intention, and re-commit time and energy to an important cause. We do well to re-call what we value, and re-solve to give due attention.

 

          We can all re-cycle and re-use many items now thrown away, or re-pent of criticism and re-frain from harmful words. We can re-trieve a rusty skill, or re-flect on a new idea. Maybe re-furbish an old treasure and re-place dead batteries. We can re-inforce a helpful practice and re-cruit others to make a change.

 

          Most of all, this is a time to re-lax the body, re-fresh the mind, and re-store the spirit with rest, good food, and re-creation. As we re-view our lives and loves, may we re-tain what is valuable, re-lease what is completed, re-cover what we desire, and re-joice in the present.